This invention relates to a magnetic recording medium for use in a magnetic recording apparatus such as a magnetic disk and more particularly, to a magnetic recording medium suitable for high recording density and having excellent corrosion resistance.
Thin film magnetic recording media using a metallic magnetic thin film formed by spattering, plating, vacuum deposition, or the like, have been proposed in the past as the magnetic recording media for high density recording. In comparison with so-called "coating type magnetic recording media" consisting of .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and a binder, these thin film magnetic recording media exhibit excellent magnetic characteristics because the thickness of the magnetic film can be reduced easily and the magnetic properties in the magnetic film can be improved. With the recent demand for higher recording density and higher reliability, magnetic recording media having high corrosion resistance have been proposed and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 29317/1988, for example, discloses a magnetic recording medium using a material which contains Co, Ni, and Zr, or contains Co, Ni, Zi, Ti, Cr, Nb, and the like as the magnetic film.